Monday, May 14, 2007

The September Progress Report: The Fix Is Already In

Does anyone really believe that we're going to get an honest assessment of the Iraq War in the progress report that Gen. David H. Petraeus will deliver to the nation in September?

Let's face it, the fix is already in.

There is no way on earth that Petraeus is going to declare that the military's surge has failed, no matter what the circumstances on the ground will be in September.

And there's no way the White House will allow Petraeus to give anything other than a rosy, upbeat assessment of the war.

The fact is, both the White House and the military have not once shied away from blatantly lying to the American people throughout this war. From the shameful Jessica Lynch episode to the disgusting manner in which the truth about Pat Tillman's death was handled, the military has been lying through its teeth since Day One. And as for the White House---well, its lies got us into this disastrous war in the first place.

At this point, the Iraq War is really only about saving George W. Bush's legacy. And it's clear that Bush will do whatever it takes to salvage his legacy---including pressuring the military to give an upbeat assessment on the war.

Not that Petraeus will need to be heavily pressured to do so. After all, Petraeus's report in September will be a chance for him to go before the American people and talk about how successful his own strategy has been. Does anyone really expect his report to be doom and gloom?

The only thing that's needed in order for the White House and the Pentagon to mislead the American people on the progress in the Iraq War in September is the cooperation of the media.

Will the media play along?

Does a bear shit in the woods? After all, the MSM played a key role in selling this war to the American people in the first place. There are plenty of gullible "journalists" like Judith Miller ready to peddle White House and Pentagon spin and lies.

The U.S. media has long been happy to swallow the Pentagon's propaganda in this war. But it's never been enough for the PR-conscious military, which has always lashed out at any journalist who dared write stories that strayed in any way from Pentagon press releases.

In September, Petraeus gets his chance to declare his own Iraq strategy a success and make everyone in the Pentagon and the White House happy (as well as burnish his own legacy). Does anyone believe he's going to want to rock the boat? The military has been lying to us for years---does anyone expect that we'll get the truth for a change in September?

9 comments:

Anonymous
said...

.I can't see how the U.S. military is ever going to leave Iraq. The military has built a number of huge bases around the country that appear to be permanent installations. Plus, the U.S. will need thousands of troops on-hand to defend the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, the largest embassy in the world.

It's utterly ridiculous to have sacrificed young American men and women and, by the time all costs are added, TRILLIONS of dollars, for the sake of staying the course of the use of oil. This administration is insane.

This war is a horrific tragedy from the start. We invaded a sovereign nation under false pretense. Caused the demise of tens of thousands of innocents. Wasted monies that should have gone to Katrina victims at home, cause the death of many of our own children. What can we do? I am calling for a NATIONAL day of STRIKE on Friday June 22nd as a means to draw world-wide attention to the idiocy in the executive branch and confirm Bush's 28% approval rating. Bush represents Haliburton and that is about it.

Marc, enjoy your blog, and while I certainly agree with the overarching tone of cynisism and skepticism here, I disagree on certain points.

First, Gen. Petraeus is not likely to say the surge has failed, but nor will he use the word "success." He will likely waffle in a gray area that will satisfy neither war critics nor supporters, and which ironically will reflect be more reflective of the real situation than any of the inflated rhetoric spouted by politicians.

I also think the media will not toe the Bush line on this. The MSM is not pro-administration, it's just that they are followers rather than leaders; they just figure out which way the wind is blowing and go along. And by September, the wind will be blowing a gale against the war.

"The fact is, both the White House and the military have not once shied away from blatantly lying to the American people throughout this war. From the shameful Jessica Lynch episode to the disgusting manner in which the truth about Pat Tillman's death was handled, the military has been lying through its teeth since Day One. And as for the White House---well, its lies got us into this disastrous war in the first place."

So why in the name of God should anybodt assume they tell the truth about 9/11????????????????????

re:>>>First, Gen. Petraeus is not>>>likely to say the surge has>>>failed, but nor will he use the>>>word "success."

I have to disagree here. While I do believe that he'll make several comments along the lines of "we still have a lot of work to do," his presentation will mention the word "success" numerous times.

re:>>>The MSM is not pro-administration

Are you serious? I suggest that you spend a couple of hours browsing the media watchdog site, MediaMatters.org. The MSM has had its tongue up Bush's ass since Day One.In fact, in watching a film like "F911," one gets the sense that, for all of Bush's crimes, the real villain of the past few years has been the mainstream media.

At the risk of seeming non-PC, my impression is that the media have basically been "pussy-whipped" by the right wing. From the beginning of the Reagan era, there was an organized effort to hang the "liberal bias" thing on the MSM. It was never the case, but with plenty of money behind it, it took; and at some point the media started sucking up to the right wing with an eye peeled for profits. And when they got results, they started acting like the submissive partner in an S&M relationship. How the hell else could someone like Glen Beck get a prime-time show, with no balance?

I don't think Bush or Petraeus, or for that matter, any other Republican pol, actually cares whether we believe what they tell us or not. Only the people up for election next year (Republicans) appear to be showing any concern about the war at all, and I don't trust that. If they're re-elected, they'll go right back to patting Junior on the back and talking about WMD.

Until, or unless, the grassroots movement for impeachment of both Bush and Cheney gains a lot more momentum, we are desitined to live with this travesty for another 19 months, and that translates easily into another thousand dead Americans at the current rate (or more) and who knows how many dead Iraqis?

Bush and Cheney both should be impeached and tried as traitors. Perjury and obstruction of justice should be filed against Gonzales, and Karl Rove should be indicted on voter fraud charges, along with his friend, Timothy Griffin.

In fact, the building that houses the RNC should be razed and the land should be salted to get rid of the evil spirits.

But impeachment? So far we haven't even been able to get rid of a smirking, corrupt, lying Attorney General.

.

About This Blog

Welcome to BeggarsCanBeChoosers.com, the progressive political blog of Marc McDonald. A Texas journalist, McDonald worked for 15 years for several newspapers, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, before he quit his day job and set up shop in cyberspace in 1995. McDonald's articles have appeared in a number of popular progressive Web sites, including Crooks and Liars, The Reaction, Buzzflash.com, Salon.com, OpEdNews.com, The Neil Rogers Show and The Raw Story. McDonald's Web articles have also been featured and reviewed by various national and international media, including CNN Headline News, the BBC, CBS, the Washington Post, USA Today and many more. On June 3, 2011, I was interviewed on the progressive radio program, "Voices at Work." Go here to hear my interview with host Ron Gonyea. I am always available for media interviews on progressive issues. Contact me here.